


what’s the name of the game?

by melonlordnation



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: DM suki is the best friend anyone could ask for, F/M, Gen, High School AU, No Bending, T for humor, i promise this isn’t a dark story i’m just trying to cover my bases with tags, many liberties taken with the rules of d&d, mentions of parental death, suki gets the representation she deserves, teenagers being teenagers, the gaang plays d&d, tw: child abuse, zutara are theatre kids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:08:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25650043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melonlordnation/pseuds/melonlordnation
Summary: “Look, all I know is Katara was fine, and then you left the party, and she got all sad, and then you came back, and now she’s even more sad. I don’t like seeing my sister sad, and apparently you’re the only one that can fix it.”High School AU: The gaang has a weekly D&D game night. They might project a little too much onto their characters.
Relationships: Sukka - Relationship, Zuko/Katara, Zutara - Relationship
Comments: 12
Kudos: 53





	1. i was an impossible case

**Author's Note:**

> In case you didn’t read the tags, I took a lot of liberties with the rules/functions/game flow of D&D, so I am terribly sorry if you’re a hardcore player and something rubs you the wrong way. It just be like that sometimes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party has been down a member for months. DM Suki isn't having it anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Many liberties taken with the rules/game flow/etc. of D&D to make it convenient for the story. They're playing with house rules anyway, try not to let it ruffle your feathers <3

The five of them sat on Suki’s bedroom floor, fairy lights on, incense burning.

“The drill is halfway through the wall of the impenetrable city. Katara and Toph are doing their best to plug the drain. They’ve got Ty Lee trapped in the sludge, but we know she doesn’t travel alone. The guards misunderstood your communication last turn and will not stop raining down boulders on you. Aang, your action,” Suki demanded.

“I keep waterbending at the weak points on top. We have a plan,” Aang firmly said. He picked up one of Suki’s pink 12-sided dice and rolled a seven.

Suki _tsked_ at him. “You’re making progress with the drill’s weaknesses, but then you feel a burst of heat flying straight toward your back.”

“Zuko?” Sokka asked, surprised and a little hopeful.

“Princess Azula,” his girlfriend corrected, and the whole party groaned.

Aang scrambled to pick up the pink dice under his leg. “I use one of the boulders to block Azula’s hit.”

It landed on six.

Suki winced. “The boulder takes the brunt of the hit, but the power of the princess’s lightning shatters the boulder and sends you flying. You smack into the city’s wall and are knocked temporarily unconscious. When you wake back up seconds later, she’s right in front of you, lightning poised to strike.”

“Waterbend at her!” Sokka insisted.

Katara’s elbow flew into his ribs. “You idiot, water conducts electricity. A wave of water would take out Zuko, but not Azula.”

“You’ve gotta use earth,” Toph said through a mouth of popcorn.

“My earthbending sucks, you yelled at me last time I tried to do that!” Aang argued, but he knew she was right.

“Well now you don’t have a choice!” Toph argued back. “Do something small, something you can’t mess up!”

“I summon the boulder fragments into a glove and block Azula’s hit. Rolling for skill and luck,” Aang decided.

Katara handed Aang both of the dice. He managed to roll a nine for skill, and a six for luck.

Suki thought quickly, figuring out how to work with that. “Your block sends her flying backward. When she tries to charge again, the built-up drainage from Toph and Katara’s bending bursts through the top of the drill. You both slip and fall, careening over each side of the drill. Princess Azula barely manages to save herself, but you’re going down headfirst and you’re out of actions. Your fate is in the hands of the party.”

“Katara, can you heal me if I take the fall?” Aang asked.

Katara fidgeted with one of her costume gloves. “I’m still bending the drainage, and I’d have to roll highly to heal an injury that bad.”

“Drainage bending takes me out, too,” Toph said. “Looks like you’re stuck with Sokka.”

“I could try to catch you.” Sokka looked to Aang. “Or at least break the fall.”

Aang huffed in frustration. “I need Appa, but we still haven’t found him.”

Toph narrowed her eyes at him. “You can’t seriously hold that against me. I had to either save the entire party or your bison, and I chose you guys. You’re welcome.”

Sokka lit up as an idea struck. “Wait. You don’t need Appa. We still have Momo!”

“What’s Momo gonna do?” Katara scoffed. “He’s not big enough to carry Aang.”

“He doesn’t have to be.” Sokka picked up the dice and shook it in his hands. “Suki, we’re using Momo.”

“I need a definitive action,” Suki played along, curious to see what he’d come up with.

“Momo’s unpredictable. We don’t know what he’s gonna do, but it’s gonna work. It has to.” The dice still hadn’t left Sokka’s hands.

“Then you need to tell me what you’re rolling for.”

“Luck!” Sokka let the his roll clatter to the floor and watched hopefully.

Eleven. The whole party cheered. Suki rolled her eyes. “Fine. Momo swoops down and grabs Aang by the collar of his shirt, righting him enough to get his bearings and enabling him to make his way back to the top of the drill.”

“Is Azula dead?” Katara asked. “Or at least injured?”

Suki raced to adjust her storyline. “Princess Azula has also made her way back to the top of the drill, and she’s not going to go down again. Aang’s still out of actions, and he’s got limited earthbending skill.”

“Then I need luck,” Aang realized.

“One of these days I’ll ban you guys from excessive rolling for luck,” Suki warned. “Seriously, Katara’s the only one who ever rolls for dexterity!”

Aang snatched up the dice from where Sokka dropped it. “I need some earth to manipulate. I’m rolling for luck.”

It’s a ten. Suki huffed. “One of the guards’ boulders drops right in front of you.”

“Don’t fight Azula,” Toph interjected. “You’ll just go over the side of the drill again.”

Aang solemnly looked to her. “You’re the earthbending master. What do I do?”

“You need higher ground. Use the wall.”

“The wall’s too high for him to get on top of,” Sokka reminded her.

Katara saw where Toph was going and got excited. “He doesn’t need to be on top of it. Just high enough up it to shatter the boulder when he jumps onto it! It’s physics!”

“The boulder would roll away or collapse on impact. We don’t need our monk dying now.” Toph crushed her empty Dr. Pepper can. “Aang, shape the boulder into a thick pole, like a tree stump. Run up the wall and launch yourself onto it. The blast will knock Azula down.”

“He needs at least an eighteen to do that,” Suki decided, handing over both dice to the party’s monk. “And no rolling for luck.”

“Dexterity,” Toph advised Aang. “You’ve got just enough earthbending skill for it to work.”

Aang surprised them all by rolling a nat 20. Suki pulled at her hair. Why bother writing a script if the players were going to deviate _every time_?

“Exactly what Toph said happens, and the pole sinks into the drill, causing the drainage to burst out of the weak links Aang and Katara created on the inside. The drill is stopped. But,” her eyes flashed, “Toph, Sokka, and Katara are still on the ground as it all floods out.”

Sokka placed a green six-sided dice in Toph’s hands. Toph blew her hair out of her face. “I elevate the ground we’re on so we don’t die in the flood.”

She only rolled a five, but her character’s skill was powerful enough to save the group.

“Wait, we survived, but what about the others?” Katara asked. “Did we kill Ty Lee in the flood?”

Suki looked at her clock. It was already past 10:30, and they had school in the morning.

“Ty Lee’s an excellent swimmer, so she’s fine. Princess Azula wades over to her, just to be sure. She’s not ready to give up the fight yet, but her friend is weakened.”

“What about Mai?” Sokka asked, not ready to end the game. “She’s done a whole lot of nothing, and she’s got knives.”

“Mai opens one of the ports, conveniently in front of her team, and states the obvious: they’ve lost. She’s not invested enough in the fight, and Ty Lee’s too weak, so Princess Azula is going to have to wait to strike again. That concludes tonight’s edition of the campaign.”

“Are you almost done with the map of the impenetrable city?” Aang asked Suki, who beamed in response.

“I need, like, two more days, and we can really dive into what goes on behind the walls of Ba Sing Se. I can have a short round ready by lunch tomorrow.”

They helped pick up their trash and returned their minimal costumes to the trunk at the end of Suki’s bed before saying their goodnights.

———

As promised, at lunch the next day, Suki had prepared a short introduction round to her newest creation: Ba Sing Se. She set up at the table and was happily munching on baby carrots when the others arrived.

“Welcome to Ba Sing Se,” she greeted them. “The city of walls and secrets.”

They were quickly introduced to Joo Dee, their unhelpful tour guide, and got frustrated when they couldn't go to meet the Earth King. As Suki tried to explain the system of walls that run through the city, loud whoops and hollers jolted the party back into reality. The football team watched two of their players have a milk chugging competition.

Suki waited for their obnoxious cheers to die down. “The city is guarded and patrolled by the Dai Li, highly trained earthbending soldiers. They protect the city and the Earth King at all costs.”

“The Earth King? Who’s his rival, the Venus Queen?”

Azula. The real one, not the princess.

The party looked up from their game and saw Azula standing in front of their table, eyebrow raised, Ty Lee and Mai in tow.

“Not planet Earth, the element earth,” Suki rigidly explained.

“How cute.” Azula shifted her attention to Katara. “Are you ready for the chem quiz?”

“I studied for three hours,” Katara replied, letting the edge in her voice show.

“I studied for five. We’ll see how it pays off when class ranks come out.”

Mai’s long acrylic fingernails, Suki’s inspiration behind giving Mai’s namesake NPC knives, drummed against her plastic lunch tray. “Come on, Azula. I still need help getting the algebra homework.”

Azula's eyes flickered to her friend. “My brother can help you, if you ever get the guts to ask. I have stoichiometry to practice before next period. Let’s go, ladies.”

Mai ducked her head and turned to follow Azula. Ty Lee gave a little wave to the party before following her friends away.

“He was a lot cooler before he started spending more time with them,” Sokka said.

The party didn’t have to ask which ‘he’ Sokka was referring to.

“He abandoned the party right after the siege of the north,” Toph’s voice was unusually small.

“Good riddance.” Katara balled up her empty sandwich bag. “Who chooses to play a villain? It was a dumb decision from the beginning.”

“A tragic hero,” Suki corrected gently. “A chaotic evil paladin.”

“Yeah, well the paladin turned into a rogue. He nearly killed me during the siege, and then he decided studying and keeping up appearances were more important than having real friends.” Katara stomped to the nearest trash can.

Aang watched her walk away. “How was he a tragic hero? He outwardly played a villain from the beginning.”

Suki stared down at the intricate map she’d drawn in various greens and browns. “He had the tragic part down. The hero part was coming.”

Sokka scratched his chin. “What was his sacred oath? His only allegiance was to himself.”

“And to the Firelord,” Toph remembered. “That was his whole quest. To capture the Avatar and bring him to the Firelord. We said that counted as an oath.”

The bell rang, once again jarring the party back into reality. Katara returned to the table only to wordlessly grab her backpack and head for her next class. Toph picked up her lunch kit and clung to Aang’s arm as they navigated their way through the packed hallway. Sokka stayed back with Suki, waiting patiently as she folded up the map and slipped it into her backpack.

“Did you read act three, scene two last night?”

Suki groaned. “That’s today? I got so busy with finishing the map, I completely forgot.”

Sokka locked arms with his girlfriend. “Come on. You’re an excellent dungeon master, and now I’ve got four minutes to turn you into a master of The Crucible.”

—————

At the end of the day, Zuko went to his locker to exchange his history book for his math book. Pre-cal sucked. So did the twenty homework problems every night.

When the metal door creaked open, a folded piece of notebook paper fell to the floor in front of him. Zuko looked around to see if whoever had delivered it might be watching. They weren’t.

Zuko picked up the note and shoved it into his jacket pocket, resolving to read it later. He only had about twenty minutes to make it across town to his uncle’s tea shop, and those cups weren’t going to fill themselves.

Later didn’t come until almost midnight, after he’d finally finished his homework and was about to get in the shower. When he took his jacket off, the folded paper fell to the floor again. He picked it up and unfolded it.

It was a simple sketch of a pale hand, palm upward, with flames emanating from the palm.

Zuko frowned. He knew what it meant, and who’d drawn it.

He slipped the sketch into a dusty black binder, one that he used to open at least twice a week, and left it there. If only he could close the real world’s problems into a binder and put them on a shelf in the back of his closet.


	2. no one ever could reach me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suki convinces Zuko to return to game night, and it has unanticipated results.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Title & chapter titles taken from ABBA/Mamma Mia, if it wasn't obvious :)

The fairy lights were on, the incense burned strongly, and Toph was on her third bowl of popcorn.

“I laugh along to their joke, giving them a false sense of security. Then I make the bridge underneath them disappear, sending them straight into the water.” Toph rolled the six-sided dice, even though she didn't have to.

Katara picked them up. “You got a five. I send them down the river as they scream about their ruined hair and makeup.” She rolled a three.

“They don’t scream about their hair and makeup, but they do scream as they float down the river,” Suki conceded. “Remember, you’re both masters of your elements now, so none of your rolls when you bend count toward skill.”

“Not that I’m complaining about an easy night, but it almost feels a little too easy,” Sokka admitted to the party.

Katara raised an eyebrow at her brother. “You just got your butt kicked for messing up a haiku.”

“I’m a fighter, not a bard!” Sokka defended, fiddling with his spray-painted dollar store boomerang.

Suki rubbed his back tenderly. “There, there. It’s okay. We all know how much you suck at poetry.”

“This was kind of an easy night,” Aang backed Sokka up. “And I still haven’t found Appa. I need my bison back, Suki!”

“Don’t you want to know what he’s been through before you get him back?”

Aang’s face fell. “What did you do to my bison?”

Suki feigned offense. “I’ll have you know, my warriors and I found and nurtured your bison after discovering him in a terrible state.”

“But how did he get there? What happened to Appa?”

“C’mon, it’s only 9:30. Tell us about Appa.” Katara leaned back onto her hands and stretched out her legs, nearly kicking over Toph’s popcorn.

“Watch it,” the smaller girl warned.

For the next thirty minutes, Suki shared with the group the complex storyline she’d created for the mythical sky bison. She left out certain details, but it was all a part of the game. They'd find out the rest when the time was right. In all honesty, Suki was trying to buy herself more time. The sidequests from the evening and the horrors she’d subjected Aang’s pet to were all distractions, and fortunately, they seemed to be working.

Something big was coming in their next campaign. Something they’d need their paladin for. She just needed enough time to get him back.

————

Monday morning, there was a sticky note taped to Zuko’s locker. The scribbled cursive in pink gel read “Remember your oath.”

He crumpled the note in his fist and tossed it in the nearest trash can.

Later, Suki found a ripped piece of notebook paper taped to her locker, with “No” scribbled in thick permanent marker.

Between his theatre class and athletics, Zuko found another folded up drawing in his locker. This one showed two pale hands clutching two darker wrists. “I’ll save you from the pirates” was scrawled across the top of the page. “Save her again” was written on the bottom, with “again” underlined twice.

He almost allowed himself to smile at the memory. They’d gone all out that night, playing ambient forest noises from Suki’s laptop and sitting close to her bedroom window to let the moon light up their game. Katara had even let him tie her to Suki’s bedpost with a scarf in lieu of a tree and actual rope, which the party had made _plenty_ of jokes about during and afterward.

Zuko slipped the sketch into his theatre binder and put the binder in his locker without giving it a second thought.

\-----------

At the tea shop Wednesday afternoon, while Zuko hurriedly slipped his apron on, his uncle appeared in the back room.

“One of your friends just left. She said they’ve been missing you at game night.”

There were only three girls in their group. One had no way of coming to the shop on her own, and another wouldn't have come willingly. That left one girl; the same one that had been leaving messages and sketches on and in his locker all week. No one ever said Suki wasn't persistent.

“I don’t have time for games anymore. I have to save up for college.”

“You and I both know this family can afford for you to go to school wherever you want to.”

Zuko tied his apron and scowled. “I don’t want anything to do with his money.”

“I say take it. He has no use for it where he is.”

Zuko learned the definition of _alimony_ at the ripe age of eight, and at thirteen, he’d learned _negligence_ , _social worker_ , _no contest_ , and _investigating the mysterious disappearance of your wife_. That investigation ran cold while Zuko’s anger burned as hot as the fire his father had drunkenly and angrily shoved his face into, right before he kicked him out of the house, slurring something about respect.

Zuko had gone to his uncle immediately after that. When he showed up on Iroh's doorstep an hour later, out of breath and severely burned, Iroh wasted no time calling the police and claiming custody over his niece and nephew. Mai's family took in Azula when she refused to live with her brother and uncle, and when their father had pulled enough barely-legal strings to ensure that she didn't have to.

“Your friends are good people. They seemed to help you when life was at its most difficult. You should spend time with them.”

He had spent time with them. Probably too much time. He knew the ins and outs of Sokka’s relationship with Suki, and how to egg Toph into indulging her rebellious side, and exactly how long Aang had been vying for Katara’s attention while she drowned herself in schoolwork and racked up skill points to become a master waterbender.

So what if he brushed Aang off every time he asked for advice with girls? Who cared if there was a reason as to why he blatantly refused to help Aang advance his relationship with Katara? Or why, when given the chance to attack the whole party, his character always singled hers out?

She probably didn’t miss him.

“I have a shift to cover.”

Iroh put a hand on his nephew’s shoulder, stopping him from passing. “She left this for you. I told her you would go see them tomorrow evening.”

Zuko took the paper from his uncle and looked down at it. This picture was of an unfamiliar scene. A green cave, seeming to sparkle, with a figure cloaked in blue seated on the floor. It was unmistakably Katara.

This is what Katara needed to be saved from? If it was like the time she’d been in custody of the mad king, it was just rock candy, and she could eat her way out. He hadn’t even been a part of that side quest and he knew the story.

Zuko groaned. Suki’s tactic worked. He was curious about what would happen at Thursday’s round.

The next sticky note on his locker read “7:00. You know where.”

————

Thursday night rolled around too quickly and not quickly enough.

Zuko stood on Suki’s porch, admittedly a little nervous to enter. Once upon a time, he’d have walked right in, sprawled out on her bed, and asked when the pizza was going to arrive. Months had passed since then.

Before Zuko could decide whether to knock or flee, Sokka opened the door, holding his keys as if he were going to his car. Sokka’s eyes widened, and then a grin broke out across his face.

“The paladin returns!”

Zuko offered a tiny wave. “Hello.”

Sokka opened the door wider and motioned for Zuko to come inside. Even from the living room, the boys could smell the incense burning in Suki’s room.

“Her parents still work nights?” Zuko awkwardly asked.

Sokka smirked. “Luckily.”

He pushed open Suki’s door dramatically. “I found someone!”

Toph would have recognized that expensive cologne anywhere. “Look what the fighter dragged in,” she drawled. Aang looked up from his phone and smiled. “Zuko!”

Suki jumped up to hug her old friend. “I’m glad you came,” she whispered. Zuko patted her on the back, signaling that the hug was over, and sat on the floor between Toph and Sokka.

Katara didn’t look at him once.

Suki plugged in the fairy lights and opened her binder, identical to the one shoved in Zuko’s closet. She graciously took the time to catch him up.

“We’re in the majestic Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se, which has a clueless king for a figurehead, and an authoritarian military really running the country. The military, the Dai Li, have hidden the war with the Fire Nation from its citizens and its king, and anyone who alludes to it is brainwashed in the Dai Li headquarters, located underneath Lake Laogai. Team Avatar has not yet found Appa.”

“What happened to Appa?” Zuko asked.

“He was kidnapped by sandbenders, _which I couldn’t have prevented_ ,” Toph said pointedly. Aang crossed his arms.

“Where we left off, the head of the Dai Li fatally wounded Jet, and the party continued their search for Appa within the walls of the headquarters.” Suki looked around the circle to her friends. “Are we ready to begin?”

They nodded anxiously. Suki jumped up abruptly. “Wait, sorry, I almost forgot!”

She ran to the trunk at the end of her bed and pulled out a red cloak. She dropped it in Zuko’s lap and returned to her place between Sokka and Aang, looking at him expectantly.

Zuko sighed and pulled the cloak over his head. The party, with the exception of Katara, cheered.

Suki grinned. “Now we can begin. Team Avatar, you’ve got one cell left to search, and this one is big enough to hold a flying bison. If the Dai Li has Appa, he’s behind these earthen doors.”

“I bend open the door,” Toph said.

Sokka held out the six-sided dice. “Roll for luck.”

Toph cracked her knuckles. “I don’t need luck.”

Suki shrugged. “Suit yourself. Toph opens the door, and inside are empty shackles that definitely used to hold a sky bison.”

“Toph!” Aang yelled.

“It’s not my fault he’s not there!” Toph yelled back. “That luck roll would have only made it easier to open the door!”

“The shackles are broken, though. Cut. The Dai Li didn’t move Appa, and he didn’t break out on his own. Someone freed Appa.” Suki let the suspense build. “The Blue Spirit.”

Zuko’s eyes darted to Aang, and they both kept their mouths shut. Along with their main characters, Suki had given each party member the option to either create a secret identity or possess a hidden skill. Aang was the exception to this option, given that he had the Avatar state and would eventually be able to control all of the elements, if everything went according to plan. Sokka bent the rules a little and ensured that his charisma was high enough for all of his main character’s ridiculous disguises to work. Toph and Katara had either opted for hidden skills yet to be revealed, or hadn’t used their secret identities yet. Zuko picked a secret identity that counteracted his main character. The Blue Spirit was chaotic good rather than chaotic evil.

Only Aang knew of Zuko’s secret identity as the Blue Spirit, and this was only because Zuko had gone to Suki before one of their rounds and told her that the Blue Spirit was going to save Aang from his captor at the time. Zuko fumbled the rescue operation slightly, and Aang wound up discovering whose face was behind the mask.

“The Blue Spirit could have at least brought Appa to me,” Aang pouted, determined not to look at Zuko and risk blowing his cover.

“If we keep moving, maybe we can catch up to the Blue Spirit,” Sokka suggested.

The party agreed. Suki sighed, rewriting the first storyline of the night. “You all rush to the surface of Lake Laogai and run across the beach, only to realize you’ve been followed by agents of the Dai Li. They’re gaining on you quickly. Up ahead, more Dai Li agents lie in wait. They build walls of dirt around you, until you’re encased by their walls and the ocean. You’re completely surrounded.”

Toph cocked her head. “Should we try to fight them?”

Then came Katara’s voice for the first time. “They’re too powerful, even with your skill and my access to the ocean. We need help.”

“It would be a great time for the Blue Spirit to show up,” Sokka said, eagerly looking to his friends’ faces to see if any of them would reveal their secret identity. “No one? Come on.”

“If you want help to show up, you need to roll a twelve or higher for luck. The higher the roll, the better the help.” Suki handed both pink dice to her boyfriend.

“Oh, now we’re allowed to roll for luck,” Sokka grumbled, letting the dice fall to the floor in front of him. His eyes lit up, all complaints forgotten. “A nineteen! I rolled a nineteen! That’s gotta be enough for the Blue Spirit!”

Suki kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll do you one better. A deep growl comes from the sky. Appa comes soaring down-”

“Finally!” Aang threw his fists into the air.

“-and he obliterates both of the walls created by the Dai Li, sending the agents flying to the ground. He circles back around and chunks the head of the Dai Li into the ocean. Team Avatar climbs aboard Appa and flies off to warn the Earth King about the treachery of the Dai Li, as well as the war with the Fire Nation.”

An hour passed quickly as the story progressed. Zuko mostly watched, like he always did, but every now and then Suki would throw him a bone. Tonight’s bones were a near-unbreakable fever and an alias that placed Zuko working in his uncle’s tea shop.

The tea shop plotline was an afterthought. Suki realized a little too late that she’d need to account for Zuko’s whereabouts in Ba Sing Se, and the tea shop was convenient enough because it was real. She and Zuko ran with the story while the rest of the party took advantage of the break and stuffed their faces with pizza.

“Your uncle’s tea is so popular, word of its glory has reached the Earth King. He’s invited the two of you to serve tea at the palace.”

“Why do I get the feeling something bad’s going to happen at the palace?” Zuko met Suki’s eyes, but she didn't reveal anything.

“Relax,” Sokka said, “Suki and her warriors are at the palace. And I just found my dad! There’s good luck all around.”

“Yeah, but I just got kidnapped,” Toph reminded him.

“Caught.” Katara corrected. “The men your father sent after us finally caught you.”

“And you’re in some sort of danger,” Aang said to Katara. “I could sense it when I was with the guru.”

Katara swallowed her bite of pizza. “Yeah, I got thrown in a prison for no reason by Suki’s warriors. If anything, they’re probably hiding me from suspicious firebenders in the city. Before I could warn anyone, Suki switched storylines on me.”

“Speaking of switching storylines,” Suki shifted her gaze to Toph, “Toph. You’ve been captured. You’re being held in a metal container. Your action.”

Toph weighed her choices. “I can’t wait for them to take me all the way home, but I probably can’t ambush them until then.” Her face twisted into a victorious grin. “I invent metalbending.”

“Metalbending?” Aang asked.

“You need a nat 20 to invent new bending unless you want to cash in on your secret skill,” Suki said.

“Secret skill it is.” Toph picked up another slice of pizza. “I metalbend my way out and then I ambush them.”

“You make your escape and successfully ambush your captors, but you have no way to get back to Ba Sing Se other than the earth under your feet. Meanwhile, Aang leaves the guru and finds Sokka. He still doesn’t know why or how, but Katara is in danger, and she needs their help.”

Sokka crossed his arms. “But I’m with my dad! Why can’t Aang just go save Katara?”

Katara elbowed her brother. “I love you too.”

Aang looked at Sokka in disbelief. “You’re really gonna make me roll for charisma just to convince you to help me save your sister’s life? After that sucky roll I just had where I blocked my last chakra and now I can’t go into the Avatar state?”

Sokka sighed. “Fine. I’ll willingly go with you, but only because I know there are better uses for the little charisma you have.” He turned to Suki. “There’s a lot going on tonight.”

“You guys complained about the easy nights! I figured I'd end the Earth campaign on a busy note!” Suki shrugged.

“Wait, this is the end of the Earth campaign?” Zuko was surprised. The last time he’d played, they’d just finished the Water campaign. Toph hadn't even officially joined the party because she was still learning how the game worked, and now she was a master of her element? Surely he hadn't been gone that long.

Toph burped. “Yeah. You missed my amazing entrance and everything.”

Suki launched back into the story. “Sokka joins Aang on Appa and they fly back toward the palace.”

“Can we pick up Toph on the way?” Aang asked.

“If you can find her.” Suki handed over the other twelve-sided dice. Aang rolled an eight- just high enough for Suki to go along with it. “You find Toph and convince her to get on Appa with you.”

Toph rubbed her hands together. “The storylines are converging again, it’s about to get good.”

Suki turned back to Zuko. “You and your uncle are on your way to the palace to serve tea to the Earth King.”

“Roll for wisdom,” Zuko interrupted. He only got a three on the six-sided dice.

“Your uncle reminds you that destiny is a funny thing,” Suki imitated the old man.

Zuko’s smile was tiny, but it was there. Uncle Iroh, the real one and the character, was known for his seemingly infinite wisdom, and Zuko found the loophole long ago of rolling for wisdom to get Suki to foreshadow events of the campaign. This roll didn’t reveal much, but it was worth a shot.

Suki continued with the story. “You arrive at the palace with your uncle, but the Earth King has failed to show up for tea. Dai Li agents come into the room and surround you. A familiar voice, one you haven’t heard in a long time but still fear, comes from behind you, telling you it’s tea time.”

“Azula?” Zuko asked, and Suki grimly nodded.

“Wait, what’s Azula doing in the Earth King’s palace?” Katara asked, suddenly invested.

Suki ignored her. “Princess Azula seems to have some sort of control over the Dai Li. You know she’s got you captured.”

“Roll for luck,” Zuko said. He got a four.

“Fortunately, your uncle has a secret up his sleeve. His nickname isn’t the Dragon of the West for nothing. He breathes fire at the agents and it breaks through the wall of the room, leaving the two of you with a clear escape route. You run down the halls of the palace, looking for a way out. Your uncle dives over a short balcony, landing in the shrubbery, unharmed. He yells up at you to make the jump down. Zuko, your action.”

Zuko considered it. “He needs to save himself. I can take Azula.”

“Are you sure?” Sokka asked.

Zuko nodded. “I have to face her eventually.”

Suki fought back a smug grin. She knew he wouldn’t run from the fight, especially not on his first night back on the campaign. “Princess Azula makes a comment about how dramatic you are and taunts you with the idea of an Agni Kai, but doesn’t formally issue a challenge.”

“Fine, I challenge Azula to an Agni Kai.”

Suki shook her head. “Your sister declines the challenge.”

“She can’t do that, that’s not how Agni Kais work. The whole point of the duel is to defend your honor; by declining, she'd be putting herself beneath me, and she'd never do that." 

Suki knew she’d hooked him, he just needed a little push. “Then do something about it.”

Zuko picked up the same dice and threw it down. “I shoot fire at her.”

A two.

“That’s not good,” Aang commented.

“The Dai Li agents deflect your shot and throw their handcuffs at you, effectively pinning you in place and preventing you from firebending. You’re now Princess Azula’s prisoner.”

Zuko put his head in his hands. “Rough first night back.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll have the chance to make up for it,” Suki assured him. “Meanwhile, the rest of the party arrives at the palace and goes to the Earth King, demanding to know where Katara is. The Earth King insists she’s safe, spending time with the Kyoshi Warriors.”

“See? She’s fine!” Sokka piped up. “Katara’s with Suki, and they’re planning the invasion of the Fire Nation.”

Aang looked at Suki, his expression serious. “Suki, I rolled a six for wisdom. My vision said Katara was in danger.”

“She is.”

Katara gasped. “So I’m really in prison?”

“You are indeed!” Suki smiled, a little too happy about Katara's imprisonment. “But this is not just any prison. It’s hidden beneath the ground. The only semblance of lighting comes from shimmering crystals all around you.” She reached for a tiny remote and flicked on green LED lights.

So Zuko had been right about Suki’s drawing.

“Another crystal cave?” Aang looked to Katara. “You know how to get out of there. Just do what we did last time.”

“Ah ah,” Suki cut him off. “This isn’t Omashu. No secret tunnel, no bards, and no rock candy. These are real crystals, in real hidden catacombs, and she’s really alone. For now.”

“Great.” Katara sipped water from the canteen at her side. She’d bought it specifically to go with her character’s outfit.

“In the prison, a hole in the ceiling opens up. Katara, you think the party is coming to get you, but instead, a Dai Li agent informs you that you’ve got company.”

Zuko realized where the story was going too late to alter its course.

“They throw someone in the cave, and he yells all the way down until he hits the ground with a thud. You immediately recognize your longtime enemy.”

Then Katara figured it out. “Zuko.”

Suki let her friend dwell on her predicament and skipped to the rest of the party. “Meanwhile, you’ve gone back to your home in Ba Sing Se, thinking Katara might be there. She’s not. There’s a knock at the door, and Toph recognizes the individual from his footsteps.”

Toph leaned forward, interested. “I open the door.”

“You’re pleased to find the kind old man you met in the woods long ago, but Sokka and Aang are terrified. It’s Zuko’s uncle, and he’s asking for your help.”

“Wait, speaking of Iroh, we still don’t know why Azula’s in the Earth Kingdom, or how she’s controlling the Dai Li,” Aang pointed out.

Suki grinned. “I forgot to mention a few important details up until now, going all the way back to when Appa was still missing.”

“Suki!” Toph griped. “Fill us in!”

“You see, my warriors and I did find Appa, and we took great care of him. But, a certain triad from the Fire Nation discovered us with Appa and knew he could lead them straight to you guys. They bested us in a battle and stole our uniforms. Then, they hunted you to Ba Sing Se. It was easier than expected to gain the trust of the Earth King; after all, you’re the ones who told him to trust my warriors.”

“But we didn’t know it wasn’t you!” Sokka was completely shocked by this turn of events.

Suki smacked her lips. “That’s unfortunate, because now Katara’s stuck in an underground prison with Zuko, and you’ll have to find out how to rescue her and decide whether to help Iroh. Toph explains how she knows Iroh and that she trusts him. He asks if he can come inside.”

Toph didn't hesitate. “I trust him. I let him in.”

“Iroh explains that his niece is in Ba Sing Se. Aang realizes she must have Katara. Iroh explains that she’s also captured Zuko. You have to decide whether to help him.”

“I say we do.” Aang looked to Toph and Sokka.

“I got picked up on the beach to save Katara, not Zuko." Sokka suddenly remembered that Zuko was no longer an NPC, he was sitting _right next to him_ , and hastily added, "No offense."

Zuko shrugged. “None taken.”

“Iroh is well aware of your rocky past with Zuko, but insists that there is good inside of him.”

“Not good enough,” Sokka wouldn’t budge. “The past is more than rocky. I want to see some good on the outside before I risk my life to save him.”

Suki’s eyes flashed to Zuko’s in a question, and he blinked his response. The Blue Spirit would remain an enigma.

“Come on,” Aang pleaded with Sokka. “Your sister’s in trouble, and so is the whole city. This is our shot at saving both.”

“Besides,” Toph added teasingly, “you don’t want a repeat of the Infamous Tree Incident, do you?”

That was enough to get Sokka to agree to help Iroh. Katara’s face burned, but Zuko took the comment in stride. _T_ _alk about a rocky past._

“You decide to help Iroh. Meanwhile, in the catacombs, Katara unleashes her fury.”

Katara looked up from where she’d been staring into the plush rug beneath her. “What?”

Suki closed her binder. “You have the floor.” She scooted back, pulling Toph back with her. Most of the rug was clear; a stage for the dramatists of the group.

Katara thought quickly and stood. “It’s a trap. I know it. It’s too perfect for us to be randomly thrown together like this. You somehow staged the whole fight with your sister, and your uncle’s going to lead the party straight to me, and then you’ll finally have us caught. Well I’m already here. Do your worst.”

Zuko didn’t say anything. He dared to meet her eyes, saw the pain in them, and went back to staring at the rug.

“You’re a terrible person. A really terrible person.”

Suki’s forced honesty hour was getting real, very quickly. The rest of the party watched as Katara paced, not knowing if she was in character or not.

“I mean, seriously! We do all of this for good, we’re trying to bring peace to the world, and you can’t stand it. Don’t you get that you’re a part of the world? That everything we do is for your good, too?” Katara forced a laugh. “But no, apparently it’s not, because your version of good is evil. It’s in your blood. You got kicked out of your fancy palace and have spent the past however many years trying to win back the favor of your father, and for what? What good has he ever done for you? And after all that, you’re still trying to impress him? By spreading evil?”

Her words stung, whether they applied to the game or to real life.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Katara was taken aback by the bite in Zuko’s voice.

“Oh, I don’t? How dare you say that! You have no idea what you’ve put me through!” The tears started to form in her eyes, and Katara knew she had to dive back into the game. She knelt on the floor and buried her face in her hands. “Your people took my mother away from me. I was _eight_.”

Zuko couldn’t find it in himself to be as open as she was, to remind her that he was only eight when his parents divorced, and not much older when he found out his mother had gone missing while he was at his father’s for the weekend.

“I’m sorry,” finally left his mouth. “I guess we have something in common.” He rose from the ground but his feet stayed planted in their spot on the rug.

He didn’t have anything else to say, and Katara was still softly crying, so Suki cleared her throat and reopened her binder. “The rest of the party and Iroh capture a Dai Li agent, who reveals the location of the catacombs. He also tells the party that Princess Azula is planning a coup. Toph is able to locate the catacombs.”

“We need to split up,” Sokka said to his friends. “Someone’s gotta warn the Earth King about the coup while this rescue mission is happening.”

“You guys go ahead.” Aang’s eyes never left Katara, even though she couldn’t see him. “Iroh and I will go on the rescue mission.”

Suki watched Katara’s shaking figure begin to calm, so she continued. “Aang and Iroh begin to tunnel their way down to the catacombs, but they’re deep beneath the ground. It’s a long walk.”

Aang looked around for the six-sided dice. “I tell Iroh I’m worried we can’t beat Azula without me being able to get into the Avatar state. Roll for wisdom. And luck.”

Aang added the luck as an afterthought. His wisdom roll was only a one, but the luck roll was a five.

Suki closed her eyes, trying not to let her frustration show. Zuko and Katara needed to have their conversation, and they weren’t going to do it without the boundaries of the game. It was odd, Suki thought, that they’d bare their hearts to each other in front of the party and not in private.

She needed to give them as much time as possible while stalling the game as little as possible. She could see the gears turning in Zuko’s head. Something important was going to come up. Suki continued her narration.

“Iroh says he does not know the answer to your problem. Life can be like the dark tunnel you’re currently walking through. Sometimes you can’t see the light at the end, but you have to keep walking.” Suki remembered how high the luck roll had been and knew she had to throw Aang a bone. “Because as you keep walking, you might find a better path. You discover the entrance to the crystal catacombs. Remember, this is just the entrance. Not the hidden prison.”

Aang’s face fell, but he nodded, understanding.

“What about me and Sokka?” Toph asked.

Suki flipped through her binder. “As you arrive at the palace, you witness one of the generals being captured by the Dai Li. The coup has already begun. You’re stealthy in your quest to find the Earth King, and you burst through the doors, grateful that you’ve found him in time. That is, until you realize Mai and Ty Lee are present, and the Earth King trusts them wholeheartedly, because you told him to. They’re still dressed as Kyoshi Warriors. Ty Lee flirts with you, Sokka. You nervously explain our relationship; she should know who I am.”

“But she doesn’t,” Toph interrupted. “I manipulate the earth beneath her and send her flying into the air. I reveal their identities to the Earth King.”

“You forget Ty Lee’s a trained circus performer,” Suki chided her. “She lands gracefully.”

Katara could hear Suki outlining the details of Sokka and Toph’s battle with Ty Lee and Mai, but she wasn’t focused on that. She didn’t flinch when Suki said Azula had lightning poised at the Earth King’s neck, that Ty Lee easily defeated both party members, or even when Suki mentioned Momo had been captured as well.

None of that mattered. She hadn’t looked up in nearly five minutes, but she could feel a burning set of eyes on her. Zuko’s eyes. She didn’t regret anything she’d said to him, whether she crossed personal lines or not.

He knew how their home lives mirrored each other. When Katara was eight, her mother died. When she turned thirteen, her father had taken on a more demanding job to better support his kids. He wasn’t home much as a result. Katara tried not to be angry with him. She poured her emotions into this game instead. She got to be the person she liked to imagine she was in real life.

And around every corner, there was Zuko, blocking her attempts to be that person.

They both used the game as an emotional release. But while Katara used her supernatural abilities to try to help people who didn’t even exist, Zuko used his to try to become the ultimate villain. That meant they were going to clash. And it would be different if it were truly just a game, but they both incorporated the darkest parts of their real lives into their backstories. When his character attacked hers, it felt personal.

And when he suddenly left the party, it wounded Katara deeply. Not just because she harbored a secret crush on him. She relished in the moments when their characters fought, how evenly matched they grew to be, how they’d act out every detail of every scene they had together. And then it was like he didn’t want them anymore. Like he didn’t want _her_.

Like he’d spent all of that time taking his anger out on them in a healthy way, in a controlled environment, and decided he was done with no warning. The emotional bond between them had severed and hadn’t healed properly. Instead it festered and scarred, which led to their current predicament.

When Suki finished describing Azula’s ascension to power, Katara stood up. For the first time in months, she really looked at Zuko.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

But it did matter, and Katara knew that. The regret had finally started to sink in.

“It’s just, for so long, you’ve been the face of the enemy in my mind.”

“The face.”

She’d accidentally crossed a line she knew better than to even delicately approach.

“That’s not what I meant,” she backpedaled, but he cut her off.

“I let this scar mark me for too long. I wasn’t anything more than a disgraced prince, but now I know I can choose my own destiny. Even with this mark.”

Katara felt her heart swelling. She knew he meant it. His break from the group was too long for her taste, but it had been necessary. For whatever reason, he’d shown up, and he was going to stick around.

She took a deep breath. “Maybe you could be free of it.”

Zuko’s character slipped, and real confusion plastered itself on his face. “Huh?”

Katara reached for the longer of her two necklaces, the one with a small bottle full of baby oil and glitter attached. “While you were gone, I mastered my healing abilities. And this is special water from the spirit oasis in the north. I’ve been holding onto it for something important. I don’t know if it’ll work, but I can try.”

She closed the distance between them and pressed her hand to the side of his face. He didn’t move away or burst out in anger. She felt like she was floating, magical spirit water forgotten. This was a new level of trust, a new connection.

Somewhere back in reality, Katara heard Suki’s voice. “Aang, you and Iroh finally find the prison.”

The mirage wavered. “Aang?” Katara asked, the name feeling almost foreign in her mouth.

“Aang, you're reunited with Katara, and Zuko reunites with his uncle. He’s confused at the sight of the Avatar and his uncle together. Iroh tells Aang and Katara to go find Toph and Sokka. He wants a private moment with Zuko.”

Katara’s hand fell from Zuko’s face. They looked into each other’s eyes for a lingering moment, and then Katara stepped away, returning to her spot in the circle.

Zuko sat back down as well. “Roll for wisdom.”

He got a three. Suki thought about what she wanted to reveal. “He tells you that you’re not the man you used to be. You’re at a crossroads right now, and your destiny is in your own hands.”

Zuko considered it. He could choose to be good, to change his game completely, to officially merge courses with the rest of the party.

“Suddenly, the catacombs shake. Princess Azula arrives, Dai Li agents in tow. The agents trap Iroh in crystals, but leave you moving freely. Your sister mocks you with your royal title. She asks if you’re a traitor like your uncle. She tells you it’s not too late for redemption.”

Zuko gritted his teeth. “Another roll for wisdom.”

That one was only a two. Suki still had faith. “Your uncle warns you that the redemption she offers shouldn’t appeal to you. The princess shows rare vulnerability. She needs you, her brother, right now. She’s planned every move of this entire day, except for the unexpected allegiance between your uncle and the Avatar. If you help her, you will certainly reclaim your honor, and maybe even your birthright.”

“I don’t suppose I can roll for wisdom again.”

Suki shook her head. “Dungeon master says no. The choice is yours to make. The princess runs toward the entrance of the catacombs. You know she’s going to catch up with Aang and Katara.”

“I run after her.”

“She's quicker than you, and she catches up to Aang and Katara. She fires lightning. Aang, your action.”

“I create an earth shield to protect us.” Aang rolled high enough for it to happen.

“Azula wasn’t expecting you to anticipate her attack. Katara, your action.”

“I send a wave of water over her, from the pools of water in the cave,” Katara answered, making up the pools as she went.

Suki rolled with it when Katara got a seven out of twelve. “Your wave evaporates into steam when it comes into contact with her lightning, and the catacombs fill with it. You can’t see Princess Azula at all. She bursts from the steam, using lightning from her feet to propel herself into the air, and she shoots more lightning at you. Your action.”

“We waterbend together,” Aang decided.

It was a decent enough roll for Suki to proceed with her envisioned storyline. She dragged out the fight for a few more turns, keeping a watchful eye on Zuko. He gave the slightest nod, signifying he’d made his decision.

“Aang, Katara, and the princess stand in a triangle, all with their hands out, ready to strike. Zuko runs out from the tunnel and sees this. He looks back and forth between the three of you. Zuko, your action.”

Suki swore she could see the immediate regret in his eyes when he said “I fire at Aang.”

She described the rest of their battle in detail, pausing only to let them roll when necessary, and to have Toph metalbend herself, Sokka, and the Earth King out of prison. Suki was surprised when Zuko invented fire whips, clearly modeled after Katara’s water whip, but allowed him to attack Aang with them. In retaliation, Katara armored her whole body with water, using her fluid arms to grab hold of Azula’s limbs.

Zuko rolled. “I sever Katara’s grip on Azula.”

Katara gave Zuko the dirtiest look she could muster as their characters began to fight. Her illusion shattered; there would be no dramatic acting of this battle between them. “I thought you changed!”

He didn’t reply. He just kept rolling the dice.

Suki got nervous. This was not the ending she’d envisioned for the Earth campaign, or when she'd spent the past four days coaxing Zuko to come back. A small, unrealistic part of her hoped this was all a ploy, that he'd been fighting against them just to tire out Azula, and then he'd turn on her. The mood of the whole night shifted. Even the victory of Aang entering the Avatar state was lessened when Azula attacked him while he was defenseless, essentially killing him.

The whole room went silent.

“Iroh joins the fight, facing off against his niece and nephew, promising to hold them off so you can get away with Aang, Katara.”

“We leave.”

Katara didn’t go into more detail, so Suki didn’t make her roll.

“You join Toph and Sokka on Appa and fill them in on the important details. Your healing abilities are the only chance in the world at bringing the Avatar back. Katara, you need nothing less than a nat 20.”

“I use the water from the spirit oasis instead,” Katara spat out. “I didn’t waste it on Zuko, so I still have it. And I’m using it now.”

Suki watched Zuko’s heart break.

“You use the spirit water, and slowly, you feel Aang’s faint heartbeat grow stronger. Unbeknownst to Azula, the Avatar lives to see another day. But the Fire Nation has finally taken control over Ba Sing Se.”

“I betrayed Uncle,” Zuko said numbly.

“Azula brushes off your doubts. You’re a war hero now. You finally get to go home.” Suki took a deep breath. “That concludes the Earth campaign.”

Even in the somber moment, the adrenaline of finishing a campaign kicked in.

“What’s next?” Toph asked.

“Fire.” Katara’s steely voice choked out. “That’s the cycle. Water. Earth. Fire. Air.”

“We said there wouldn’t be an air campaign,” Aang reminded the group. “Because I’m the only airbender.”

“Then I guess the next campaign is our last.” Sokka didn’t realize the finality of his statement until it left his lips. His words hung in the air.

Katara threw off her gloves, cloak, and canteen. “I’m tired.”

Sokka knew she wasn’t really tired, but she definitely needed to go home. He kissed Suki before fishing his keys out of his pocket and following Katara out the door.

Aang picked up Katara’s costume pieces and set them in Suki’s trunk before walking out.

Toph opted to keep her fuzzy headband on when she left.

Zuko sat on the floor of Suki’s room for a few more minutes. She didn’t pressure him to say anything. In fact, she left the room entirely. Zuko heard the shower start running in the bathroom down the hall.

He angrily tore off the red cloak and dropped it into the trunk. He left without telling Suki goodbye, thanks for the invitation, or anything else.

When he stepped onto the porch, he didn’t expect anyone else to be out there.

“Why’d you do it?”

He looked down at Toph, who crossed her arms and stood her ground. “You didn’t want to do it. I know you didn’t. I could feel it.”

Something in Zuko snapped. “You know you’re not really the Blind Bandit, right? You can’t really feel people’s emotions, or tell when they’re lying, and you just don’t know, okay?”

“I’m not really the Blind Bandit, and you’re not really chaotic evil.” Toph turned and carefully made her way down the porch steps. “Goodnight.”

Zuko’s blood was still boiling, but he heard his voice call out after her. “Wait.”

Toph stopped walking, but didn’t turn to face him.

“Let me drive you home,” he offered. “I know it’s only a street away, but it’s late.”

\--------

Without much work, Toph convinced Zuko to drive through a fast food restaurant for milkshakes first, even though the closest one was ten minutes from her neighborhood. It’s an old tradition she brought back. Among the party, their taste in music and in milkshake flavors were always the most similar. They used to indulge in the sweets and swap playlists after game night. She'd extended the olive branch by making the suggestion, and he'd accepted it by driving halfway across town when he still had homework to do. 

“I still have our playlist,” she said when he handed over her chocolate shake. 

A tiny smile crept onto Zuko’s face. “I have some additions for you.”

Zuko played her two songs he thought she’d like on the drive back to her house. 

When he pulled into her driveway, Toph asked again. “Why did you do it?”

Zuko smiled wryly. “Old habits die hard, I guess.”

Toph didn’t get out of the car. "I did a lot of Googling. Sokka helped. A paladin can violate his oath.”

"Yeah, with consequences.” Zuko had already done a few Google searches of his own.

"It wouldn’t be out of character, since you’re so set on being chaotic evil. You could violate your oath out of self-interest and take another one in its place. Check your rule book, I know you still have it.”

Of course he did. It sat at the back of his closet, secured in the rings of his old dungeon master binder.

Zuko shook his head. "That completely undermines the purpose of having an oath to begin with. It’s the driving force behind my entire character. And I’m not an Oathbreaker. What am I supposed to do, start from scratch two campaigns in?”

"Your entire character is fighting a war with himself. You’re a vengeance paladin, but you’re getting vengeance against characters who didn’t hurt you instead of the one who did. Paladins are supposed to be bearers of light in a world of darkness, and you made yours a villain.”

"Villainy is subjective, and I do bring light. I’m a firebender.”

She ignored his dumb comment. “Look. Sokka and I spent way too long on Reddit for you to pretend I’m not making sense. The generally accepted rule is that a paladin’s oath can be annulled after going on a quest that makes the annulment possible, at the discretion of the DM. Tonight’s adventure could count as that.”

Zuko sipped his shake. “How? If anything, my actions tonight were perfectly in character. I played along with Katara’s sob story, and got vengeance as soon as the opportunity was available.”

"I know you weren’t just playing along. Her words got to you. Let's pretend they got to your character, too.”

She didn’t have to call him out like that.

"One heartfelt conversation doesn’t change our history,” he carefully said.

“But it can change your future. Say she changed your perspective. Or say watching your sister kill the Avatar made you realize she’s not a bringer of light, and you now can see the real light you were meant to defend.” Toph finally opened the car door and stepped out. “At least think about it.”

He swore to himself he wouldn’t think about it. He broke that vow almost immediately.


	3. but i think i can see in your face

A copy of the rules Toph had been talking about was shoved in the slats of Suki’s locker on Monday morning.

An hour later, a sticky note reading “No” was taped to Zuko’s locker.

—————

Zuko saw Suki in the hallway during eighth period. He was “going to the bathroom,” or so he’d told the substitute teacher, and she was running errands for the front office. He stealthily fell in stride next to her.

"Why not?”

She wasn’t phased by his sudden appearance. “DM says no.”

"Rules supersede DM.”

"Oh, you want to talk about rules?” Suki whirled on him. “Let’s talk. Starting with the fact that your character is supposed to be selfless by nature, and I let you change that. You also didn’t pick an official oath, and I let it slide. You left the party and instead of killing you off, I kept you around as an NPC on the off-chance you’d come back. Do you know how hard it is to write a storyline for a character that shouldn’t exist, especially when their own journey doesn’t always coincide with that of the party? It’s hard. It’s really hard. And don’t think you’re the only one asking for special favors. I already had to tell my cleric she couldn’t go on a solo sidequest to murder you in your sleep, and in all honesty, her argument was stronger than the one you present. So forgive me if I’m not willing to bend the rules for you again.”

She disappeared into a classroom to deliver a note. When she came back, he was leaning against the wall outside.

"Shouldn’t you be in class?”

"I’m sorry.“

Suki hadn’t expected that. She kept walking. “For what?”

Zuko kept up with her pace. “For disappearing off the face of the earth after saying it’d only be a week, and for making your job harder, and for coming back and ruining everything. I understand why Katara wants me dead. Let me make it up to her, to all of you. I wouldn’t ask if it didn’t mean anything to me.”

"I know you wouldn’t. But did you ever stop to think about how she feels?”

"I can’t stop thinking about it. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

"Then you know that I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.” Suki stopped and brushed her hair behind her ear. “You’re a royal pain, Prince Zuko, but I can deal with that. It’s part of being the DM. You know how it goes. I’m not mad at you. I’m the only thing standing between you and getting waterboarded in your sleep. But as your friend, not as your DM, I have to tell you: stop hurting the people who love you. And yes, she does love you.” She grabbed the handle of the door to the front office.

"You had faith in me before. That’s why you kept me alive, and why you kept pushing me to come back. I can’t thank you enough for that. All I need is a little more faith.”

She stopped when she heard the utter desperation in his voice. This was a critical decision. Suki went with her gut.

"I’m not changing my mind. But,” she threw him yet another bone, “Next game night, be prepared for the fight of your life. And remember, that’s not until next week because my mom’s birthday is this Thursday. Now get back to class before you get caught wandering the halls.

—————

That Wednesday, Zuko was ten minutes into his shift at the Jasmine Dragon when two hands slapped down on the front counter.

"Take your break.”

"I just got here.” Zuko looked up from the cash register and saw a nervous-looking Sokka.

"Now or never, paladin.”

Zuko groaned and disappeared into the back room to scribble on the time sheet. He slid into the booth across from Sokka. “I have fifteen minutes.”

"I know how to get around Suki.”

Zuko raised an eyebrow. “Is that why you haven’t stopped looking over your shoulder since you came in?”

"I told her practice was running late and I needed her to bring Katara home. I already had to promise _things_ to get that, but if she knew what I was doing here?” Sokka whistled lowly. “ _Things_ , man.”

"Okay, okay,” Zuko didn’t care to find out what those _things_ were. “How do I get around her?”

"There are a few options. The first and worst option is to take over being DM.”

"She’d kill you for suggesting it, and then she’d let your sister kill me for trying.”

"I know, but it’s still an option. Option two is to write your own storyline. Derail whatever she’s got in mind. We do it on accident all the time, you can play it off, especially if you have help.”

The idea tempted Zuko, but he’d already apologized for monumentally ruining Suki’s plans once. ”That’s almost as bad as option one! Do you want me to completely wreck your girlfriend’s ambitions?”

"Nah, that was Toph’s idea anyway.”

Zuko looked at the clock. “I don’t want to take my full break now. I need something good, or I need to get back to work.”

"Option three is the exact opposite of option two. Go along with exactly what she says.”

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, I’ll let her have me as whipped as she has you. How does that help me?”

"Because,” Sokka leaned across the table, “you know she won’t kill you off. Toph and I may not trust you, but we don’t want you dead. Aang’s a pacifist, so he won’t.”

"And she won’t let Katara do it,” Zuko remembered.

Sokka shrugged. “Meh. She won’t let her do it _yet_. Suki’s not a fan of murder-by-ambush. But Katara’s creative. All you have to do is be more creative than her.”

Zuko looked around to make sure no one was in earshot and could possibly misconstrue his next question. He leaned across the table and whispered. “Are you telling me to kill your sister?”

“What? No!” Sokka whisper-yelled.

"Well that’s what it sounded like!” Zuko whisper-yelled back. “What was ‘be more creative than her’ supposed to mean?”

"It was supposed to mean outsmart her! You can’t do things that are too good, but Katara can’t do things that are too evil! You have to be more good than she is bad!”

"I have far more limitations than she does!”

"It’s not my fault she picked a neutral alignment!”

Zuko cleared his throat and went back to a regular speaking voice. “So I just have to be... good. That’s option three.”

"That’s option three,” Sokka repeated, also in his normal voice.

"I think I might go with option two.”

"Don’t!” Sokka pointed a stern finger in Zuko’s face. “Do not wreck my girlfriend. Please.”

Zuko sighed and pushed Sokka’s finger away. “I’ll think about it.”

"Don’t think about wrecking my girlfriend!”

Zuko whipped his head around the shop, slightly embarrassed. "If you’re gonna say stuff like that out loud, you have to say it quieter than that.”

"For both of our sakes, seriously, _please_ don’t pick option two. Or one.”

"Why would you give me three options if you didn’t want me to pick two of them?” 

“It seemed like a good idea!” Sokka glanced down at his wristwatch. “I have to go. Remember: be good.”

Zuko rolled his eyes and stood up. “Yes sir.”

—————

Option one was obviously not on the table.

Option two was teetering precariously off the edge of the table.

Option three was the best choice, as much as Zuko hated to admit it. _Be creative_ , he’d been told. Attempting to make amends in real life felt creative enough.

Which is why, when his shift ended, he left a boba tea on Katara’s porch with her name neatly written on the cup. He rang the doorbell before bolting back to his car and zipping down the street. 

—————

Katara watched him do three drive-bys of her house from her bedroom window before she snuck outside and grabbed the mango tea. 

She didn’t say, text, or otherwise communicate a thank-you. She poured the tea out in the sink. He couldn’t buy her forgiveness.

—————

But he could sure try.

Thursday’s coffee-flavored tea was a surprise. Katara didn’t expect the gesture two days in a row. That one went down the sink, too.

Friday’s tea was a new flavor: dragonfruit. She convinced herself she hated it. It was dumped in the grass on her front lawn.

On Saturday, she got wrapped up in watching movies with Sokka and didn’t even think to check the porch. At one in the morning, they were both half asleep when the front door opened. 

“You two are still up?”

Katara sleepily waved from her spot on the couch. “Hey, Dad.”

"This was outside. I believe it’s for you."

"It’s just Zuko,” Sokka piped up, half-lidded eyes still glued to the TV. “He’s done it almost every night this week.”

“Is there something I should know about?”

Hakoda sounded protective but mostly amused. It was the latter tone that made Katara finally sit upright. In her father’s hand was, as expected, a completely melted cup of passionfruit boba, and unexpectedly, a single rose. 

“It’s nothing!” Katara felt her face flush. “He was being a jerk and is trying to apologize. Just throw it away.”

She excused herself and ran to the safety of her bedroom. Sokka turned to see what had caused that reaction.

Hakoda looked from the rose in his hand to his son. “Is this how young studs apologize these days?”

“Only when they mess up bad.”

Hakoda took Katara’s spot on the couch next to Sokka. “And, ah, how bad exactly did he mess up?”

"Don’t worry about it, Dad. It’s just the game. Trust me, I’d take care of him if it weren’t.”

“I don’t know, flowers seem a little more serious than a game to me. Maybe I’m just old." He twirled the rose between his fingers. "You know, I always thought he was a little soft on Katara, even when you kids were younger. And I remember you relentlessly teasing her for her little crush on him.”

"Zuko? Liking Katara?” 

Sokka hadn't considered it before. He'd been distracted by ganging up with Toph to make Katara blush every time they all hung out. And by Suki. She didn't typically join in on tormenting Katara, but she was distracting in general. He could excuse the teas as an act of kindness, but the rose might have had different implications.

—————

Sunday’s tea was mango flavored again. Katara plucked the petals off of the rose and dropped them in the trash can, along with the empty cup.

\--------

Monday's was the coffee-flavored one. _Oh good,_ she thought, _a pattern_. However, the pattern had deviated. Two roses laid next to the cup of tea. She drank half of it before dumping it out. She didn't want the roses, but they didn't deserve to suffer her wrath because their giver was an idiot. The petals were pressed in between the pages of her dictionary.

—————

The more Sokka thought about it, the more it made sense.

Which is exactly why on Tuesday, he asked Suki to bring Katara home from school again. He went to the Jasmine Dragon and marched right up to the counter.

"You like her back!”

Zuko’s eyes went wide. He threw off his apron and yanked Sokka into the same booth as before.

" _What_?”

“I said, you. Like. Her. Back.”

Before Zuko could come up with a convincing denial, a different thought tumbled past his lips. “She likes me?”

"Uh, yeah?” Sokka was confused. “That’s like, common knowledge. We’ve known for months.”

"Hold on.” Zuko’s world was spinning. “You said months?”

"Yeah. Like, ‘end of the Water campaign’ months, probably longer. That’s why she’s been so mad at you, according to Suki. And we don’t think she’s much of a rose girl. But you get bonus points for taking the thorns off of the stems.”

Zuko couldn’t believe it. “You knew she felt that way, and you guys let me betray her in the cave?”

"Hey, we thought you knew and were trying to let her down easy like she does with Aang.” Sokka realized what he’d said. “Don’t tell him that.”

“You- why are you helping me, anyway?”

"I can’t take it anymore, man. I had to unclog all of the boba in the garbage disposal. She sings sad songs from musicals in the shower. And they’re always having girls' night at Suki’s, so I barely get to see her anymore-"

That caught Zuko's attention. "Sad songs from musicals? Like what?”

"I don’t know!” Sokka gestured widely. “I’m not in theatre! That’s literally your department!”

"That could mean anything though! There’s a difference in degrees of sadness!”

"Then you ask her!” Sokka got serious. “Look, Katara was fine, and then you left the party, and she got all sad, and then you came back, and now she’s even more sad. I don’t like seeing my sister sad, and apparently you’re the only one that can fix it. Tea and roses aren’t cutting it. Find a way to make her happy again.”

\-------

A lily was taped to Katara's locker after eighth period on Wednesday afternoon.

She yanked it down and opened her locker. Inside was a folded piece of paper. She grabbed it in the same hand as the lily, exchanged her math book for her copy of Julius Caesar, and turned back around. When she did, she was face to face with Zuko.

"We need to talk."

Katara wanted to shove right past him, or light into him, or crush the lily and rip the paper to shreds. Instead, she met his eyes for the first time since his (second) betrayal. Where she expected to see malice or arrogance, she saw earnest pleading. 

She shoved Julius Caesar under her arm and pocketed the folded paper. "Then talk."

Zuko looked around the crowded hallway. "Do we have to do this here?"

Katara's annoyance increased. "Where else?"

"Let me drive you home. I'll even stop by the Jasmine Dragon so you can pick out a tea that won't wind up down your sink."

She considered it. A few months ago, this would have been a victory. _Their first date_. She resented the part of herself that felt giddy over his proposition. 

"Fine."


	4. there's a lot you could teach me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're really awkward around each other, and that's not the way it's supposed to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi I edited this chapter because I didn’t like the first way I wrote it. It might change again, who’s to say?

As soon as she opened the car door, Katara was bewildered. "Are those...footprints on your windshield?"

"What?" Zuko looked over from his seat and, sure enough, tiny human footprints were pressed to the glass. He chuckled. "Toph."

That was explanation enough. Katara slung her backpack into the backseat. "I don't know why I even asked."

Five songs- reserved for when no one else was in the car to judge them for blasting musicals, or for missing notes slightly outside of their ranges, or for being theatre kids- played on the drive to the tea shop. Neither of them sang; they hadn’t even spoken since they first got into Zuko's car.

"I still prefer your voice to Susan Sarandon's," Zuko finally said as he pulled into the Jasmine Dragon's drive-through.

Katara sighed, frustrated. "You said you wanted to talk, and that's the first thing you say?"

"It was supposed to be a compliment." He shrugged.

"Why?"

"I'll take that as a thank-you."

"What is this?" Katara turned her body in the passenger's seat to face him. "What's this supposed to be?"

"What kind of tea do you want?" She didn't respond. Zuko rolled down his window. "Katara, we're next in line. You have to answer me."

"You answer me first!"

"I told you," Zuko said, a little anxious at the thought of not knowing what to say when ordering "I'm trying to be nice.”

A voice came out of the speaker in front of the menu. "Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon, what can I get for you?" 

Zuko poked his head out of his window. "Jin, it's me. I want a large mango."

"Wow, even on your off day you can't stay away." A laugh came through the speaker. "Just a large mango?"

Katara leaned across the car's console and got as close to the speaker as she could, personal space quite literally out the window. "And a medium taro."

The girl, Jin, gasped. "Zuko, are you on a date right now?"

Katara recoiled from where her body was pressed to Zuko's as they both nearly yelled "No!" She could have sworn she felt a spark when she pulled away. She chalked it up to static electricity, because there was absolutely no way it was anything else.

Jin seemed blissfully unaware of their objections. "I was wondering who all of those late-night teas were for! Your uncle is going to be so happy! I'll comp the teas, and it'll be ready at the second window." 

"Jin, do not tell Uncle!"

The speaker stayed silent.

Zuko rubbed his face, ears burning, and slowly pulled the car forward. "So that's Jin."

"Didn't you go on a date with her?" It was supposed to be conversational, but Katara's question came out as more of an accusation.

"A year ago, yeah."

"And what, it didn't go well?"

"It went really well, thank you for asking."

"But it didn't work out. Let me guess: she was too nice. Or 'just not your type.' No, wait, you scheduled a second date and flaked on her." She wanted to tease him, like a friend would, but even she could hear the edge in her words.

Zuko stopped in front of the second window, and there was the overly-enthusiastic Jin. Katara immediately noticed the assortment of pins stuck in Jin's hat, including a tiny orange, white, and pink flag. 

"Hi!" Jin handed over the plastic cups. "One mango and one taro." She looked past Zuko to Katara and her face lit up. "You're really pretty!"

"Thanks," Katara said, snatching her tea from Zuko. 

Zuko turned back to the window. "Jin, please tell me you didn't say anything to Uncle."

"He's with some customers up front, but I already told June, and she told him for me!" Jin looked over her shoulder to see if the old man was done chatting. "Pull around front and come inside!"

"Gotta go." Zuko switched gears faster than ever, and they were flying out of the parking lot.

"Have fun!" Jin waved as they drove away.

Katara laughed once they were safely on the road. "That was smooth."

Zuko groaned. Going to the Jasmine Dragon was a bad idea. Now all of his coworkers thought he was dating the girl who used to be in love with him, who he maybe liked back. His timing was always terrible. Iroh would never let him hear the end of it. He set his tea in the front cup holder. "To answer your question, no, she wasn't my type. But as it turns out," he smiled, "I wasn't exactly hers either."

Katara stabbed her straw through the plastic cover on her drink. "Good for her."

He turned the air conditioner up. "There was a scheduled second date. She's the one who flaked."

"I'm sorry," Katara said genuinely. Maybe she had been a little rude before.

Zuko interpreted her apology differently. "Don't be. She needed time to figure out who she was, she figured it out, and now she's living her best life."

"Is Jin's coming out story supposed to relate to you somehow? You took time off, figured stuff out, and now you're just waiting on the 'living your best life' part to kick in?"

When he didn’t answer, Katara sat back in her seat. She knew Zuko wasn't good with words unless they were scripted, but there was _something_ about the way he was speaking to her. He was more direct than normal. She rolled her eyes, imagining him carefully rehearsing whatever conversation he'd wanted to have.

"I didn't know you liked taro," Zuko said, hoping it didn’t sound as awkward as he thought it did.

Katara quirked an eyebrow. "You never asked."

"No, I just," he searched for the words, "you never got it before. When we used to come here. You'd either get the coffee one or try whatever the flavor of the week was."

 _He remembered?_ Katara cursed the butterflies in her stomach. _Of course he did, he brought it to the house twice._ "You still get mango."

Zuko shook his cup, rattling the ice. "Every time."

"Well, you certainly know where your loyalties lie."

Zuko elected not to acknowledge her loaded statement. Instead, he came back with one of his own. "I think you want to be mad at me."

"I _am_ mad at you," Katara corrected.

"Over a game? Really?"

"That's not the only reason."

Life would be a lot easier, Zuko realized, if Katara would just spit it out. He was sick of dancing around each other like they were scared they’d break, and then unleashing anger on each other like they wanted the other to shatter. "Then tell me why."

This was her chance. "You abandoned us for the people you constantly complained about. You're the one that suggested turning your sister and her friends into villains, long before we ever actually did, and you left us to be with them. It felt like we weren't good enough anymore. Like we weren't as good to you as Azula, or Ty Lee, or Mai."

His response was forming as she explained. He was ready to argue that attempting to reconcile with his sister had been important to him though futile, and that Ty Lee was actually really nice when you got to know her, and then Zuko's entire train of thought derailed when Katara's voice cracked on that last name in the list. _No way._

"Are you jealous?"

Her eyes widened. "Of what?" Katara asked incredulously, her voice raising in pitch.

"Of the fact that I gave other people more attention than you.” He was somehow better at the friendly teasing than she was. 

Katara couldn't lie with a straight face, especially not to him, so she changed courses. "That is the most self-absorbed assumption you could have made."

"So you are jealous," Zuko called it like he saw it. "But over attention? You’re not that kind of girl."

When she didn't respond, he pressed on. "I know you're not angry that I tried to piece my family back together. You get that. Of all people, I know you get that. And Ty Lee's sweet, but she's the weak link of that group, really easy to pick on because she's the fun little splash of sunshine and rainbows. I don't like seeing my friends get picked on, and I know you don't either, so you wouldn't be upset that I’m close to her. And that leaves Mai. So tell me Katara, what is it that makes her different?"

Katara tried to choose her words carefully. "I just don't like her, okay? You even said that she and Azula pick on Ty Lee, so she's not a nice person, and I see the way she looks at you, and you're better than that."

"Slow down, Miss High and Mighty. I never said she was the one picking on Ty. And better than what?"

"Better than reverting to old habits when things get tough." 

She struck a nerve. "Oh, so now Mai's an 'old habit.'"

"What would you call her?"

Another loaded question from Katara, but Zuko didn't shy away from that one. "I'd call her a childhood friend. And a good, loyal friend to my unstable sister. And my first kiss. I'd also call her the person who kept me distracted on the anniversary of the day my dad went to jail for crimes that dads shouldn't be capable of."

"You didn't answer," Katara muttered, just loud enough for him to hear.

He gave her a pointed side-eye. "No, I did, you just don't like the answer I gave you."

"No," Katara looked straight at him. "I called you and _you_ _didn't answer._ "

"When?" 

"That day. I called you because I knew, I knew that you'd spend the whole day locked in your room, feeling absolutely miserable, and I didn't want you to go through that alone. And you didn't answer. I had to convince myself you were asleep, or that your phone died, because I wasn't about to imagine you, as a shell of a person, watching my name pop up on your phone and letting me go to voicemail. Now I guess I know why."

Zuko abruptly pulled into the first parking lot he saw. He went to the call log in his phone and scrolled as fast as he could, looking for that day.

"You're so quick to come at me with 'Miss High and Mighty,' and you talk this big talk about how well you know me, but apparently you've still got a lot to learn about me. Because I'm not someone who gives up on people I love, no matter how much they hurt me." She looked out her window, not willing to see his reaction to her next admission. "By the way, I called you on my hardest day, too. And you didn't answer. Again. But you sure posted a picture of Mai at a booth at the Jasmine Dragon not ten minutes after I called."

He found both of the calls she referred to. Her name was in red, indicating that he'd missed the calls.

Katara was on a roll. ”So forgive me if I feel like I've been replaced, or if I’m jealous that she gets all of your attention nowadays.”

Zuko felt his heart drop into his stomach. "I didn't know."

"And then you showed up and pulled that stunt in the cave. I know it's a stupid thing to be mad about, but-"

"When were you going to say anything?"

Katara stopped, confused by his outburst. "What?"

"You're mad at me because I missed two important phone calls and played a game differently than you wanted me to. If you want to be mad, I get it, but how long were you going to let this drag on?"

"It could have ended a long time ago if you hadn't ghosted us."

"How many times do I have to apologize?" Zuko asked.

Katara bit into a boba ball. "I still haven't heard you do it once."

"I'm not sorry for leaving. I needed time to sort through my own stuff. But I am sorry I didn't come back sooner, and that you got hurt along the way."

"Why didn't you come back?" Katara's voice was even, but her wavering bottom lip gave her away.

"I didn't think you wanted me back," Zuko softly answered. "I kind of thought you all hated me. If it was that easy to walk away, I thought I might as well stay away."

"You think too much." Katara dug a napkin out of his glove box and wiped away the traitorous tears. 

"I'm sorry."

"And you could've just asked."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing."

Zuko gripped the steering wheel. "Then what do you want me to do? What should I say?"

"Show me. Don't tell me." Katara knew Zuko would understand; it was one of their director's favorite notes to give the actors. "You can say you're sorry a hundred times, and you can leave a thousand flowers outside of my house, but that doesn't prove anything other than the fact that you can afford to do that. Show me you mean what you're saying."

"How?"

Katara swallowed the lump in her throat and stared out the windshield, straight through Toph's smudged footprints. "When I figure it out, I'll let you know."

They sat in the parking lot, silently sipping their tea.

Zuko pulled out of the parking lot a few minutes later. "Will you at least stop singing sad songs in the shower?"

Katara would have laughed if she hadn't been embarrassed that he knew she was doing that. "Let me live my Eponine dreams."

" _A Little Fall Of Rain_?" He tried not to let any hint of the unasked question, _without me?_ , show in his voice.

" _On My Own_ ," she corrected, aware of the implication, not caring if he put two and two together. But she'd never sing _A Little Fall Of Rain_ without him. It was a terrible, sorrowful song, but they absolutely killed it together. He deserved to at least know that.

Zuko mentally kicked himself. Sokka had said she was singing sad songs, not sad _love songs,_ and certainly not anything Les Mis! He'd have to have a talk with Sokka about context clues.

"Where are we?" He felt utterly clueless. What was supposed to be a nice gesture turned into nitpicking at each other, and there seemed to be feelings thrown in? Maybe? He shoved those feelings aside. There would be time for that much later, if he ever got his friend back first. "What are we doing?"

"We're healing," Katara answered. "It's an ugly process. But we're doing it."

"If only you still had your magical healing water," Zuko half-joked.

And then those memories rushed to her mind. How in her hurt, she'd unintentionally made a comment about his face, which she _knew_ he was self-conscious about. And then she'd said something to the effect of "I didn't waste the magical healing water on Zuko," implying that if she'd somehow been able to heal him, it would have been a waste, that _he'd_ be a waste, and then she was crying again.

"I'm sorry," she said through her ugly crying.

He knew what she meant. "Don't."

"I am. I really, really am."

"It's just a game," he assured her.

The anguish bled through when she asked, "Was it ever really just a game?"

They both knew the answer.

Her sobs faded to sniffles. The rest of the ride was almost silent, until Zuko asked, "What did you mean when you said you see the way Mai looks at me?"

Katara cursed herself inwardly. "Oh, you know," she tried to play it off, but realized she had no idea how to end that thought.

"I don't know, though. That's why I asked. You kind of lumped it in with her being a bad person. Does she hate me too or something?"

"It's just different," Katara finally landed on. "She doesn't show a lot of emotion, but she always smiles at you."

The poor boy sounded genuinely confused. "Is that bad?"

 _Maybe not to you._ "It's weird."

"I mean, I started helping her with homework and stuff. And I bring her home after her twirler practice sometimes. Maybe that's why." He remembered what Katara had said about feeling replaced. "If you ever need help or anything, or a ride, you know you can call me, right?"

"I'm covered between Sokka and Suki. But thanks." She gave him a tight-lipped smile.

They fell back into a brief silence. Zuko filled it once again. "She really is a nice person."

"Okay."

"I still don't know why you dislike her so much-"

"I just said okay!"

He didn't break the silence that followed.

The rest of the drive to Katara’s house was short. She unbuckled her seat belt and grabbed her backpack. "Thanks for the ride. And the tea."

"Thank you for coming." Zuko gave her a tiny wave goodbye.  
  
As soon as Katara disappeared into her house, Zuko sunk his head down onto the steering wheel. “Stupid,” he chastised himself. He dropped his head onto the center of the wheel.

His horn beeped in response.


End file.
